From everything I’ve read on here and other grammar/vocab sites, 寒い is used for cold weather while 冷たい is used for cold objects. I thought maybe it was just tangible/intangible, but I’ve seen many places say if you are describing a cold-hearted person, you should still use 冷たい.
Could someone explain why a cold-hearted person could be 冷たい while also having a cold heart is 寒い? Thank you!
Completely uneducated guess, so don’t take it as fact, but maybe 寒い is describing the state of the heart, sort of like treating a mood like a weather condition? The behavior itself would be 冷たい, as would anything that persists in a 寒い condition, but it’s not that the heart itself is cold, more so the state of the heart is cold. Also, 心 is more ethereal that just “heart” I think. It can mean heart in certain contexts, but it also covers a broader scope of mentality, spirit etc. 心臓が冷たい would be like a literal, anatomical heart is cold to the touch, but 心が寒い might use 寒い since it’s more about the condition/result than a specific thing happening to be cold.